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The Soul is a Garden: Tend to it Lovingly and watch it Grow and Flourish.

Universally, 2013 is a SIX year, which prompts us to fix and solve important areas of our life, such as home and work environments, relationships, health and fitness. SIX gives us reasons to update, improve and get all areas of our life efficient and running smoothly. Each month of 2013 has a specific area to shore up and get humming efficiently. – Alpha Life Trends

This is the seven of pentacles. It is a card about reflection, introspection, and evaluation.I have noticed that, for me and my inner circle, 2013 is truly a year centered around self-improvement, preparation and planning. The seven of pentacles here keeps showing up in readings I have done for myself and my loved ones. I do not ignore these kinds of coincidences, thus I have brainstormed a meditation activity centered on this card. I have recently discovered a love of gardening and plants in general and it occurred to me that the Soul is much like a garden. This meditation is about routine maintenance of the soul. A garden that is not tended grows wild and unruly or it withers and dies. I want to feel my best and maintain some order in my life so I find that these types of activities are truly worth my time.

If you feel the need to evaluate your current situation and lay plans for the future that are authentic and aligned to your Higher Self please feel free to try this meditation activity with the Seven of Pentacles. Allow at least 30 minutes to an hour of uninterrupted time to yourself. Make sure you are comfortable and rooted before you begin. I recommend this breathing exercise to help you relax.

Seven of Pentacles Meditation

First answer these questions honestly. Write down your answers on a piece of paper, or better yet in your journal. Do not censor what you write, just let the words flow freely.What have I been working on lately? Is it yielding the results I hoped for?
Can I recognize and appreciate a job well done?Am I satisfied with what I am producing lately?
What activities in my life make me feel grounded ?What accomplishments am I proud of?
Am I being honest with myself about my situation?How do I feel about change?

Next, take a moment to study the card more deeply. Look at the card carefully. Take note of the colors, shapes, and symbols present in the image. Imagine you are the young man leaning on the hoe. Then, imagine the image enlarging enough for you to step into the scene. If it helps you can close your eyes and imagine your surroundings in your mind. What do you hear, smell, feel and see? What jumps out at you? Now, one by one look at each of the seven pentacles. Touch them and study them carefully. Allow your mind to freely associate each pentacle with an object, relationship or activity in your life. Study each important part of your life thoughtfully. Does it need water? Are there weeds keeping it from growing? Is it getting enough sunlight? Take your time with each one and again try not to censor yourself. When you are finished, imagine yourself leaving the card and drifting back into your conscious mind.

Finally, write about the experience in detail. What seven aspects of your life came to mind? What changes can you make to help things in your life run more efficiently and smoothly?

I hope you find this activity helpful. If so, I hope to create more card-based meditations in the future. If you give this a shot, please share your experiences in the comments section or write a post of your own and share it with us. Happy gardening!

I just completed the meditation. It was actually a perfect day for your reminder since I’ve been spinning in circles a bit. I adored the whole process!

I’ve always been someone to go for pen and paper to sort through strong emotions and thoughts but hadn’t taken the time, so the answering of the questions was a great way to lead into the meditation.

After answering the questions, it was easy to slip into the card and put myself right there with the 7 pentacles. I got quite emotional as soon as I allowed myself to consider each of them. It turns out that what each of them needed was for me to shine a little sunlight on them. Allow myself to recognize and acknowledge exactly what was “right” about each one.

I did not put any thought into how many aspects of my current life came up; however, in the reflection afterward, I see that it ended up being exactly 7. Funny how our minds work.

It was truly lovely. I am certain that I will come back to this every so often when a need some clarity on exactly where I am. Thank you for sharing it.

I love what you’re doing with this! It’s wonderful to actually engage with the cards as process and relationship. I’ve always thought this particular card holds a dream of introspection, reflection, and a call towards a certain “earthy mysticism.” Gardening as a mystical activity in which we participate with/in Creation.

Thank you heather712! Your comment makes me feel wonderful, especially since I still have a lot of doubt about my intuitions surrounding the cards. There seem to be so many people who want to discourage me from my work with them, and yet I feel drawn to them. Thank you for your kind encouragement!

Paula, I’m pushing back tears right now. I’m SO grateful for your feedback and that something I came up with had that much of an impact on your day. How joyful! You just spread a little sunlight into my day for sure!

Your reflection is beautiful. Sometimes we do forget to shine our light on things because we forget their value. I try to tell myself everyday that everyone and everything in my life is here to help me learn about myself.